Tag Archives: photo editing

Hey everyone! Hope you are all having a great Tuesday! Just to let you know that over the next couple of days we are going to be scaling back social media profiles. There are many various platforms out there and with growing time restraints we have decided to scale back slightly and concentrate on updating fewer of our social media profiles more regularly.

ReClick Photo profiles which will be retired are:

Google+
Tumblr
Path.

We will be formulating a regular posting schedule so you will know where and when new updates and content will be added.

This is the start of some exciting changes here at ReClick Photo so please look out for further updates over the next couple of weeks!

Have you remembered it’s Mothers Day (UK) on Sunday 6th of March? Instead of giving your Mother an another bunch of over-priced flowers and large box of confectionery this year, why not completely surprise her by giving her a completely unique and extremely personal gift that will in turn get you major brownie points and prime place in her good books.

So here’s what you can do. But remember its a going to be a surprise so don’t tell anyone about it who can’t keep a secret ( in my family my Dad is the absolute worst!).

Step 1 – Like the younger incantation of yourself, go exploring through photo albums, shoe-boxes of random photos, and other nooks and crannies for the best image of your Mother you can find. Just pick a really good photo that means alot to her, i.e. your parents wedding day, holding you as a baby, or a great picture of your Mother as a child.

Step 2– Send it to me here at ReClick Photo. In order to help you with your gift giving endeavours you must decide on what you wish to be done with your selected image. If your image has seen better days then I could restore it for you. If your image in in black and white, I could colour it for you. If you would like your mother to look her very best I can even retouch the image for you. What ever option you would like I am more than happy to help. For all methods of getting your image to me here at ReClick Photo, please visit my website at http://www.reclickphoto.co.uk. To ensure your image arrives to me quickly and safely please use my recommended method of scanning your image and send it via email to me at info@reclickphoto.co.uk. for a free no-obligation quote.

Step 3– Once satisfied with the work completed and I have received payment, I will send your new image to you via email, where it is yours to do with as you wish! You could simply print of the image from your home printer or you could use one of the many companies out there to print it onto a wide range of things from a mug, to cushion. The choice is completely up to you!

Would you like to see an example of what I can do? I will show you as long as you keep it a secret, it’s for my Mother for Mothers day! Let’s take a look at the original image:

Image before restoration and recolouring.

If I was to tell you how old this image, there is a slight chance that my Mother would hear about it, so for the sake of diplomacy I will describe it as being a few years old. As you can see, due to not being stored correctly it has suffered a little damage. So the first task is to rectify it.

After a little care and attention its time to bring this sepia image to life. In recolouring this image there is a few key areas that I believe need the most attention in order to successfully recolour an image.

Skin – The most important area which need a lot of attention. Thinking that your skin is all one colour is wrong. Take a look at your own face in the mirror closely and you will see lots of variation in tone and texture. To replicate it digitally can be a little difficult but, when done correctly, it really makes your image. Just remember when you are ill you can usually tell by the colour of your skin, so getting the right colour is extremely important. My method of successful skin recolouring is to use a colour photo as a reference. It doesn’t have to be a photograph of the person you are retouching, it just has to be of someone with similar colouring. Like all good things, it take time and patience to complete.

Eyes – Some would say that the eyes are the gateway to the soul, for me they are one of the most important areas of a persons face. Like the skin the best way to approach recolouring the eyes is to use a reference photo. Do not take anything for granted, because what you think is not always what is there. For example what we describe as ‘the whites of the eyes’ are not pure brilliant white. Why not take a little time to examine your own eyes and try and pick out all the different colours you see.

Hair – Hair comes in all shapes, colours and textures, so to recolour someone’s hair can be tricky. Yes you have guessed it, use a reference photo! To successfully recolour hair, you have to retain its texture and shine. Just think of those shampoo commercials we see on TV!

Would you like to see the finished result?

Image after restoration and recolouring.

So what do you think? Do you think my Mother will like it? As you can see above, once you successfully recolour the skin, eyes, and hair, then the hardest part is done. Recolouring the rest of the image is a much easier task as the most important areas are done.

So how do I select the colours to use in the rest of the recolouring work? Well there is a few ways in approaching this. Firstly you can use ask those who were in the photo at the time. But failing that you can either use their favourite colours, or the last resort use artistic licence. Here at ReClick Photo I will only recolour your image to your own specifications, but don’t worry if you have no idea what to do then is just tell me to use my initiative. But please don’t worry, if you are not satisfied I will change anything you don’t like and no payment is required until you are completely happy with the finished result.

Now with the project complete lets take a look at before and after image comparison.

Before and after image comparison.

I hope this blog post has given you food for thought for your Mother’s Day gift this year. But if you are reading this from outside the UK then why not give your mother a gift to let her know how much she means to you – you don’t need to have a special day to do that. So what ever your imaging needs are please let me help! All you have to do is send me an email to info@reclickphoto.co.uk with your chosen image and let me see what I can do for you.

How many times have we looked at an image of ourselves and started to think about what you wish could be altered, whether it is to remove some unsightly blemishes, change the colour of an article of clothing, or even fix an unruly head of hair. How many images of major events in our lives have been tarnished by an unsightly problem. Here at ReClick Photo we are always here to help. Would you like to see an example of what we can do? let’s take a look at an image before retouching.

Original image before retouching

As you can see from the image above they are a few imperfections that here at ReClick Photo can rectify through image retouching. Personally I think this a lovely photograph, but I can understand why someone would like some alterations to the image. So with this photograph I decided to give you an example of what a complete retouching experience would look like here at ReClick Photo. Here are a list of objectives I wish to complete in this project.

Remove all blemishes, spots and freckles from the models skin.

Tidy up stray hairs from the models forehead.

Tidy up the models eye-brows.

Change the colour of the flower in the models hair in order to compliment her make-up.

Reduce the size of the models nose slightly and increase the size of her eyes a little.

Emphasize the colour of the models eyes and build up the shadows and highlights on her face.

Would you like to see the finished result?

Image after retouching

What do you think? I hope you agree that there is a marked difference between both of these images, although each of them have their merits. It is merely a matter of preference of which we may like or dislike.

Please note that this is an example of a complete image retouch from ReClick Photo. I can retouch anything from just a single spot on your chin to an example illustrated above.

After completing all the objectives listed above I decided to then darken the edges of the image slightly and and apply a blur to everything in the image except the main features of the face. My intention in doing so was to finish the project by drawing further attention to the main area of the models face. Let’s now take a look at a comparison of both images to compare the difference in both images.

Before and after retouching comparison

Image retouching can be carried out on personal images as well as those intended for professional and publication purposes. Here at ReClick Photo I would be delighted to assist you in all your image retouching needs. Please feel free to contact me via my email at info@reclickphoto.com for a no obligation quote.

With the sales of red roses and large boxes of chocolates set to go through the roof over the next week in time for Valentine’s Day, have you ever thought of surprising that special someone in your life with a totally different and comically funny valentines gift?

This year for Valentine’s Day, why not take a special photograph of you and send it to me here at ReClick Photo, and for the small sum of £5.99 I can perform a digital face-swap, and send the finished result straight back to your inbox for you to then do with as you wish. Let’s take a look at a demonstration of what I could do.

Original image before retouching.Featured above is my choice of image from my favourite free-to-use public domain image website, www.pixabay.com. As you can see, this image is perfect for a face swap, as both people are looking straight at the camera. For best results we need both of the faces to be looking in the same direction. Let’s take a look at the finished result than I can tell you how it was done.

Example of a photograph that has been given the ReClick Photo Face-Swap treatment.What do you think? An Image like this will make everyone laugh, it will certainly be a talking point! To achieve this I first loaded the original image into my image-editing software where I carefully selected both faces and made a copy of them. Next I superimposed the faces onto its new body. Once positioned, I began to blend the faces into the existing heads. This meant blending the two skin tones, blending the new face with the existing hairline and ears etc. The main objective is to make it look as realistic as possible.

To give an image of your choice the ReClick Photo Face-Swap treatment all you have to do is send your images to me via email to info@reclickphoto.co.uk and I will start the transformation! I all I ask is that you make sure that both people in the image are looking in the same direction. The finished image will be sent to you directly via email where it will be yours to do what ever you wish with it! Please note you will not be asked for payment until you are satisfied with the transformation. Upon receiving payment your final higher resolution image will be emailed to you directly.

For only £5.99 you can surprise your loved one with a thoroughly amusing and completely different valentines gift this year! Times running out so please contact me soon so not to be disappointed! Please bear in mind that this is not only a great gift for Valentines Day it would be a fantastic gift for a birthday, wedding anniversary etc.

Sadly sometimes the image that you want to capture simply does not exist. So what can we do? Just take the best photograph you can at the time and with a little digital tweaking you will get the image you want. Let’s take a look at an example of what I am talking about.

Whilst at sea, when both lighthouses are in alignment ( the light of the Upper lighthouse positioned directly above the light of The Beach Lighthouse) then as long as a vessel follows the guideline projected by the lights then they will enter the Wyre Estuary safely.

As you can see from the image above there are many elements which are taking the focus away from the lighthouse itself, so in true ReClick Photo fashion I will work my magic in transforming the image into the best it can be. Would you like to see the finished result before I explain how I achieved it?

View of the Pharos Lighthouse Fleetwood

What do you think? I hope you are agree with me that the image has been greatly improved. As you can see there has been a number of elements removed, if you don’t want to play a game of spot the difference here is a list of what has been removed:

The lightning conductor on the lighthouse.

An unused bracket of the railing at the top of the lighthouse.

The sign post.

The overhead tram lines.

The telephone posts.

The flags and flagpoles.

A few imperfections, and damage to the sandstone of the lighthouse.

To continue the retouching process further I turned my attention to the emphasising the main subject , the lighthouse, itself. To do this, I worked on the light and shade. To draw attention to the Lighthouse I lightened it before darkening the outer edges of the image in order to frame it. To finish, I carried out a few further adjustments such as curves, brightness/contrast, exposure etc. Let’s take a look at the before and after comparison to see the how much difference the retouching process has made.

The Pharos Lighthouse before and after retouching.

Whilst things such as road signs, telephone posts, and cables are vital in the real world, when it comes to a photograph thankfully you can remove them without causing any devastating effects.

If you have any images like the one featured in this blog post that you would like to be given the same ReClick Photo treatment, then please contact me at info@reclickphoto.co.uk. For more information about ReClick Photo and the services I provide please visit my website at http://www.reclickphoto.co.uk.

To see the other images I took whilst visiting Fleetwood please visit my 500px page by clicking here – http://bit.ly/1GeSMv2. If you like them you can license them!

Thanks for reading!

Hugh at ReClick Photo.

P.S. Remember its not to late to enter our Halloween Prize Give-away. For details on how to enter please visit http://bit.ly/1P343GU. Good Luck!

Our family archives of precious objects and old photographs are a treasure trove of memories from yesteryear. Today I would like to share another photo from our family albums with you so I can show you what I can do here at ReClick Photo to bring it to life. let’s take a look.

The Photograph of My Gran and Grandpa before Recolouring.

Out of all the images we have, this is one of my favourites of my Gran and Grandpa. It really captures the spirit of them both, especially my grandpa. He is, and always has been a bit of a character. When looking at old photos of himself he usually points at himself and says “who’s that handsome chap, he looks a lot like Robert Mitchum.” In truth, I think he bears a strong resemblance to the British comic actor Terry Scott! This image was taken in the 1970’s at one of my Grandpas works parties held by Andrew Barclay Sons & Co, the locomotive builder and engineering workshop in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire.

Many times I find myself taking a picture and turning it into black and white because I feel that the image is best suited without any colour. Today, colour photography is the norm, so when it comes to recolouring images it is only usually older photographs that need to be done. In my opinion, not all images are suitable for effective recolouring. Please don’t misunderstand me, you can recolour any image you please, but for it to be truly effective some black and white images are better candidates than others. I have seen many attempts of recolouring, sadly not all favourable. It can be a lengthy process, but when completed successfully it can be well worth the time and effort put into it. When looking again at this image I felt that the expressions on both of their faces are really quite colourful, even in black in white! This image is, in my eyes, is a prime candidate for recolouring. Would you like to see the finished result before I explained how I achieved it?

The Photograph of My Gran and Grandpa after Recolouring.

What do you think? Personally I think it really highlights the sense of fun that you can see on my Gran and Grandpas faces. So what steps did I have to take to achieve this result?

When working with any image editing software, work like this is always carried out on a series of layers. The most important one in this project is the colour adjustment layer.

To begin I cleaned up the original image by removing the dust, scratches, marks etc.

I then selected an other image to use as a colour reference so I could recolour the skin tones effectively. Recolouring the skin is the most important aspect of recolouring an image with people in it , because if peoples skin doesn’t look right then no matter how hard you work at the image the rest of it will not look right.

After retouching the skin, I move on to the hair, again drawing reference from the colour reference image.

My attention then went to the clothing. In some case recolouring clothing can be quite simple, but as you can see in this case it was a laborious task. When clothes have a pattern each part of that pattern needs to be recoloured separately. As you can imagine to recolour this highly patterned skirt took time. Needless to say I did have to stop for a break and a cup of tea halfway through as I could feel my eyes going a little fuzzy! but I hope you agree, it was definitely worth the effort.

Now the hardest part was over, the only thing left to do was the background. Sadly I didn’t know what the colour of the flooring or the wall was, so I decided to use colours that would complement the other elements of the image.

To finish the image I applied a few adjustment such as brightness/contrast, vibrance, levels etc.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about this recolouring project. If you have any treasured photographs that you would like to recoloured just like the image featured in this post please email me with your image to info@reclickphoto.co.uk for a free no obligation quote. recolouring old images can be a great gift idea for family and friends, so why not treat someone you know! Here at ReClick Photo I want to give you the image that your treasured memories truly deserve. For more information about ReClick Photo and the work that I do please visit the website at http://www.reclickphoto.co.uk.

Sometimes when it comes to photography, clicking the button on your camera is just the start of a great image. In this edition of Behind the Photograph, I’m going to let you know what the process is behind getting a few of the images in my last post, Blackpool Do We Really Like To Be Beside The Seaside, ready to be shared with you.

The first image I will talk about is the the one featuring the seating located next to The North Pier. Let’s take a look at the image as it was captured:

Ornate seating located by the North Pier Blackpool as captured.

As you can see, the sun was hiding when I took this photo. It was a lovely warm day, but a little cloudy and it must have went behind a cloud. This is when I am so glad I recently decided to shoot in only raw at all times now. After a few slider adjustments in Adobe Camera Raw, the image came back to life right before my eyes. It never fails to impress me. Now with a proper image to deal with I move on to making it better. By removing the string of lights from the top left hand corner and heightening the saturation levels, the image is much improved.

Ornate seating located by the North Pier Blackpool.

The best way to see all the changes is to compare the two photographs side by side like the example below.

Before and after comparison of the ornate seating located by the North Pier Blackpool.

Let’s take a look at one more image from that days images. Here it is as it was shot:

View of the Blackpool Tower.

The idea I had behind this image was to capture the fun and sense of novelty that Blackpool has, hence the jaunty angle! Looking a little closer I could see a few things I could alter in order to make it a much better image.

View of the Blackpool Tower.

The main objective here is to emphasise the shapes and lines of the buildings to do this I need to get rid of any distracting elements. Removing the strings of lights, the street lamp is a good start. I then digitally retouch the paintwork to freshen up the appearance of the building in the foreground. To complete the retouching process, I decide to remove the part of the building in the foreground in the top left hand corner of the image. By doing this I believe it shifts all the attention to the tower itself. Now it is complete.

Before and after comparison of a view of the Blackpool Tower.

Like with the first images, I will compare the before and after photos beside one another to see the full effect of what has been achieved.

By writing posts like this, it shows you the power of retouching and the work behind making the images that I take ready to be shared with you.

If you have any images like these that you would like to be given the same treatment, then please contact me at info@reclickphoto.co.uk I would love to help. For more information about ReClick Photo and the services I provide please visit http://www.reclickphoto.co.uk.